


Casualty

by MegsWrites



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Borderlands 3
Genre: Borderlands 3 Spoilers, Canonical Character Death, Team Feels, unbeta'd: we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21770725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegsWrites/pseuds/MegsWrites
Summary: Axton gets some news.Spoilers for Borderlands 3.
Relationships: Axton & Gaige (Borderlands), Axton/Maya if you squint
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Casualty

**Author's Note:**

> I really hate that we didn't get more of the BL2 team's reaction to Maya's death, I can't believe that Lilith or at least Zero wouldn't have reached out. This is one way it might have gone. (Also I just really miss Axton.)

Axton is off planet when he gets the news, too far out to be of any use, too stunned to be of any real comfort, too late to...well, it doesn’t matter now. He’s always just a little too late.

Maya is dead. The brutality of the news rips through him like shrapnel and he has to sit down hard on one of the ammo crates that fill every available corner of the Dhal transport he liberated three weeks ago. His heart stutters with a pain that leaves him breathless and without meaning to he presses a hand against his chest, half expecting to see it come away wet with blood. 

Its Gage who’s contacted him and he’d give his god damned life if it meant standing between her and the abject grief he can read on her face even over the grainy echocast. He can’t though, because he’s stuck in this shitty fucking ship on a useless mission and not there where she needs him to be. Where they all need him to be. Typical.

“How?” He hears his own voice as if through broken speakers, tinny and raw. It’s steady though. He won’t fall apart in front of the kid. He can’t do that to her. He listens without comment as she tells him as much as she knows about the Calypso twins and the so called Great Vault. When she sketches the details of Maya’s last stand her voice shakes so badly she can hardly get the words out. Tears slide down her cheeks unchecked and he can’t stop himself from reaching for her, aching to gather her into his arms. Instead his hand disrupts the image and sending little waves of light bouncing through the gally and the helpless rage he feels burns cold in his gut.

“Where are you?” He asks when she’s recovered enough of her composure to answer. 

“In route to Sanctuary III.” She says, and he realizes now that he can see the blinking lights of a flight panel behind her. “Zero sent me the coordinates along with the news.”

“Send them to me.” He says, already moving toward the cockpit. 

“Axton your mission--” She starts but he interrupts. 

“Fuck the mission. I’m coming.” He’s not looking at her now, his attention on the ship’s controls, but when she answers he can hear something like relief in her voice and he swears to himself that they’re not going to be seperated like this again. He’ll talk to Lil, find a way to keep them all together.

“Have you spoken to the others?” He asks, “Sal...Kreig.” Fuck. Kreig. God damn it. 

“No.” She says, “I was going to call Sal next and nobody knows where Kreig is, he dropped off the radar after Maya left Pandora. I’m sure she would have been able to find him but…” He does look up then, meeting her eyes as the echo blurs in and out. 

“We’ll find him.” He says firmly, “We’ll make sure he’s ok. Yeah?” When she nods he can see some of the familiar fire in her gaze. 

“Yeah.” She says, then, “You have the coordinates, I’ll radio ahead and tell them you’re coming.”

“I’ll contact Sal.” He says, he doesn't want her to have to go through all this a second time. “If he needs me too I’ll pick him up and we’ll see you on the Sanctuary III.”

“OK.” She says, and for the first time she sounds like herself. Just as quickly as it comes that confident grin slides off her face and she hesitates. 

“Ax, just, be careful yeah?” He almost makes a crack about how being careful is overrated, its a reaction as natural as breathing to joke, make light of his own wellbeing, but he can see how raw her eyes are so he leans in and says firmly.

“I will kiddo, I promise. Don’t worry, just get home and I’ll see you real soon.” She smiles and Axton waits until she cuts the connection before dropping his head into his hands. He cannot fathom a world where Maya no longer exists, where her strength and courage and wit have been snuffed out like a candle. She’d been his right hand, as close as his own skin. How the hell had let her get so far away? He should have been there. Could have saved her, could have died for her. Anything but this. He wants to scream at the unfairness of it all. Instead he allows himself three ragged breaths then shoves the grief and rage and heartbreak down with all his might. There will be time for that later, when they are all together and safe. When Maya has been avenged. Then he’ll get drunk and laugh and cry and they’ll try to pick up the pieces together. For now, he punches in a flight path, then lets out a long breath and calls up Sal’s personal echo channel. It rings long enough that he thinks there wont be an answer. Then the connection goes through and Sal’s broad face fills his vision. 

“Axton! How the fuck are you brother?” His friend’s voice voice is enthusiastic as ever but gravely with sleep and Axton realizes he doesn't even know where Sal is. Damn this life that’s scattered them to the wind so thoroughly. 

“Hey Sal.” He says, settling back into his seat, braced for the conversation to come. “We need to talk…”


End file.
